Rumors and Trending Topics – Eliminating Misinformation

The City of Piqua regularly receives phone calls, emails, or inquiries asking if certain information circulating is true. The Rumors & Trending Topics page serves as a resource for Piqua residents to find out accurate information on current events and related topics. The page will also provide the City with an opportunity to clarify information circulating within the community, eliminate misinformation, and spread good news. Community members are encouraged to check back often since new facts and topics will be added on a regular basis.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

Is it true that the city stopped the performance of David Allan Coe at the BikeFest event?

FACT:

That is true. Since the inception of the BikeFest event four years ago, it has been designed by the BikeFest organization as a community event. As part of the city’s agreement with BikeFest to close public streets and areas for the event, the city maintains the right to review and approve entertainment and activities to ensure they are appropriate and meet community standards. This is true for all events conducted by organizations that request to use public space.

The scheduling of this particular performer was deemed not appropriate for the community by the City Manager who has the final approval on all special events planned for public property. The City Manager determined that this performance would create an unnecessary safety issue for the community and directed that the BikeFest Committee be informed of this decision which resulted in the action by the BikeFest Committee to cancel the performance. The City Manager’s decision was made and the BikeFest Committee was informed prior to the City Commission meeting of August 15th. The comments of the citizen speaking against the performance at the City Commission had no bearing on the prior decision by the City Manager.

The City of Piqua encourages special events that are community oriented and have a positive impact for all citizens.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

Is it true that the Hollow Park Dog Park in not handicap accessible according to the U.S. Justice Department? What is the current status of the dog park?

FACT:

The U.S. Justice Department has made the interpretation that the Hollow Park Dog Park does not meet the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements for accessibility and the dog park should be discontinued and closed following a complaint from an individual at the June 6, 2017 City Commission meeting. To be in compliance with the ADA, the city has immediately discontinued any work on the Hollow Park Dog Park and the site will no longer be used for any purpose. The city is currently completing a Park Master Plan which should help identify sites that are both accessible and acceptable to the community for consideration as a future dog park.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

Is it true that Hance Pavilion will not be able to be used this year because of maintenance problems?

FACT:

Not true. We did find some structural issues recently which have since been repaired. Current work is underway to prevent raccoons from taking up residence in the building and causing environmental problems. This work should be completed by mid-May and the facility will be fully available for use.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

Why won’t the City of Piqua allow good restaurants to locate in the city?

FACT:

The City of Piqua has nothing to do with whether restaurants decide to locate within the city. Restaurant owners and developers make location decisions based purely on demographics and service radius to their other franchises. If the property is zoned for commercial business, restaurants need no approval to locate within the city limits.

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RUMOR/TOPIC:

The City of Piqua is going to raise the storm water fee because of grass clippings being blown into the street and going into the storm drains.

FACT:

There is the possibility that the storm water fee will have to be raised because so many residents and commercial mowing companies are blowing the grass clippings into the storm sewer catch basins. The clippings clog up the storm sewer pipes and have to be cleaned to prevent flooding. The additional maintenance required on the storm sewer collection system may require additional funding to maintain the lines properly. This could be avoided if the clippings are blown back into the yard instead of the roadway where they are washed into the catch basins.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

The City of Piqua is connected to unsafe drinking water due to toxic metal pipes.

FACT:

The Piqua Municipal Water System is confident in the safety of Piqua’s drinking water.

In March 2017, The City of Piqua (City) was required to submit a map to the Ohio EPA, in accordance to House Bill 512 passed in June 2016, identifying areas of water distribution that has or is likely to contain lead service lines. This bill enacted section 6109.121 of the Ohio Revised Code which created requirements to regulate lead and copper testing of public water systems and the revision of law governing lead contamination from plumbing and fixtures.

Current City standard materials used for water mains is ductile iron pipe lined with concrete, push-on joints and rubber gaskets. It is the City’s policy to replace the publicly owned components of the water service with new copper tubing and non-lead brass hardware when lead piping and/or fitting have been confirmed. However, the City is not responsible for replacing the privately owned portion of the water service line, but recommends the owners consider replacements.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

The City of Piqua is wasting money in developing the Historic East Piqua Community Campus Plan and will be taking people’s property.

FACT:

The development in the Historic East Piqua Community Campus Plan will be completed with almost all private development funding. The cost of the senior housing facility will be paid for by Miller Valentine and the St. Mary Development Corporation; the YMCA will be developed through private fund raising efforts; the Medical Office Building will be developed by a private developer; the potential Early Childhood/School Administration building will be built by a private developer; and the new National Guard facility will be funded by the federal government. The City of Piqua received previous planning grants and participated in the feasibility study with the Piqua School District, Edison State Community College, YMCA, and the Ohio National Guard at a cost to the city of $7,000. The return on the investment of $7,000 will result in $40-50 million in private investment.

When planning started on the Historic East Piqua Redevelopment Project in 2013, numerous public meetings were held to receive input from the neighborhood and community. From the very first meeting, it was stressed that the City of Piqua would not use eminent domain to take property for this project. However, property owners will have the option of selling their property if they desire.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

With the new water treatment facility, and the news of more insane lead levels in water all over the U.S., is the new facility set to be sure our water is lead free?

FACT:

Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Piqua is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. With that being said, the City of Piqua Water Department does its best to help minimize the potential for lead contamination by ensuring that its water is non-corrosive. Phosphate is added to the water during the treatment process as a corrosion inhibitor which helps prevent the leaching of lead and copper from pipes and fixtures. It has been shown that a large part of the Flint, Michigan water crisis could have been avoided with the addition of a phosphate into their treatment process.

In early 2016, the City began a corrosion control study of its distribution system. The purpose of this study is to ensure that the chemical treatment is working properly and there is no corrosion of lead or copper. To date the study has shown that the City of Piqua water is very stable and there are no signs of corrosion of lead or copper. The City’s water has actually been shown to be a little on the depositing side which means that it deposits a very small protective layer in the system.

Another purpose of this study is so that the City can compare how water from the new plant is reacting to the system compared to data that has been compiled from water coming from the old plant. This will help ensure that the City is adding the proper amount of phosphates through the new treatment process as that process will be a little bit different than that of the old plant.

The City of Piqua Water System has not had any lead or copper violations with the Ohio EPA. In the past years, all lead testing has come back as “non-detect” which means that levels are below what test results can show.

It should also be noted that the new water treatment plant was constructed under the new lead free guidelines and there was no lead used in any of the components of the new plant.

If you have any other questions regarding lead and copper in your drinking water, you may call the City of Piqua Water Treatment Plant at 778-2090.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(December 29, 2016) The city is wasting tax payer money by building a roundabout at the Looney and Garbry Roads intersection. Changes to the intersection are not needed since the intersection works perfectly fine as is.

FACT:

Actually, building a roundabout now will ultimately save city residents a tremendous amount of money in the future. You are correct that the intersection is functioning satisfactorily at the present time. However, we know that future business development in that area will send the intersection again into failure. When the intersection was a two-way stop, we experienced numerous accidents which led to the intersection being identified as one of the most unsafe in the region. To address the immediate safety concerns, a 4-way intersection was implemented which has reduced the number of accidents. Unfortunately, a 4-way intersection will not adequately or safely handle future projected traffic volumes. One additional company alone could cause intersection failure related to safety and congestion.

Being identified by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission as an unsafe intersection made it eligible for state and federal funding. After research of the best possible design solutions, it was determined that a roundabout would provide the safest, most beneficial long-term results, and most likely funding availability. Roundabouts have been determined by the Federal Highway Administration to be the safest of all intersection designs as well as providing the most effective means of resolving traffic congestion and reduction of vehicle emissions. The city was able to successfully obtain a $1.1 million Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) grant which pays the construction costs of which only roundabout designs are eligible. The city is responsible for the design and acquisition of any right-of-way needed for the project.

The alternative to this solution, no matter what type of intersection, requires design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction which would have to be completely paid for by city funds. This would include a signaled intersection which would require approximately the same overall cost as a roundabout.

As opposed to wasting taxpayers money, city staff have a professional and ethical responsibility to be financially prudent and manage operations and infrastructure in the best interests of the citizens and the community. The CMAQ grant for the roundabout saves city taxpayers $1.1 million and provides a much safer intersection for the long term.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

FACT:

The City of Piqua implemented a new Code Compliance Program in June 2016 under the Development Department. The city employed a Code Compliance Coordinator at that time to proactively identify building and property code violations throughout the city and work with the owners to resolve these issues. Prior to this, code enforcement was primarily conducted based on complaints. This new program and process resulted from the tremendous number of complaints received from citizens expressing their concerns about the appearance of the city and wanting something done to clean-up the community. The program was designed specifically to be fair with everyone and ensure that all violations would be cited with no exceptions. After two months of operation, approximately 200 properties have been cited for violations. The good news is that about 50% of the violations have been voluntarily corrected. The entire community benefits when properties are maintained. Our HELP (Housing Enhancement League of Piqua) Program is also available to provide qualifying homeowners that need physical or financial assistance for home repairs or performing various maintenance tasks.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(June 7, 2016) The city ignores water line breaks and does not respond when contacted.

FACT:

All calls regarding water line breaks are immediately looked at by Underground Utility Division to determine if the break negatively impacts a customer or poses a safety issue. In cases where there are no immediate risks or limits to water service, priority is given to repair those underground issues that do pose problems to customers or might be potential hazards. As a result, water line service breaks may not be repaired for a short period of time until more immediate issues are resolved. Customers are not responsible for paying for the lost water in these cases.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(May 20, 2016) The new Water Treatment Plant is way over budget and never needed to be built in the first place.

FACT:

Not true. The Water Treatment Plant is ahead of schedule from a construction standpoint and the final cost is anticipated to be under the original budget estimate. A new Water Treatment Plant was required to be built because the existing 90+ year old plant cannot meet the new EPA requirements.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

FACT:

In cases where no arrests are made during an actual raid, further investigations and/or lab analysis must be completed before warrants for arrests are issued. A good example is the recent raid on the Old Library in which no arrests were made at that time, but after investigations were completed four (4) individuals were charged based on evidence recovered. Two (2) others were arrested on charges not directly related to the raid. Generally, the follow up arrests after such raids may not be covered by the media, or if covered, may not be associated by the public with the particular raid.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(May 20, 2016) The City of Piqua takes no action regarding high grass in neighborhoods.

FACT:

The City of Piqua aggressively goes after violations of high grass throughout the city. Currently, over 100 violations are being processed. State law requires that property owners be given a notice and correction of the violation within five (5) days. If the violation is not corrected by that deadline, the city uses a contractor to mow the grass and the cost is assessed to the taxes on the property.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(May 20, 2016) The Piqua Public Works Department takes too long to pave a street.

FACT:

The Public Works Department primarily paves street sections that have a base problems. Street base problems cause sections of streets to crumble and deteriorate quickly. The Public Works Department began two years ago using a Full Depth Reclamation process which requires milling the asphalt and removing the existing base. A new base is added along with a cement mixture to hold the base together. This process requires more time but helps prevent crumbling and potholes.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(May 13, 2016) The City of Piqua’s water is contaminated.

FACT:

There is no contamination of the City of Piqua’s drinking water nor its water sources. Included in the May 10th Utility Bill mailings, was a copy of the City of Piqua’s Annual Quality Water Report for 2015. This report is a requirement each year by the Ohio EPA for all public water systems and must be mailed prior to July 1st. There are three mailing periods for utility bills each month. The reports will continue to be included with the remainder of those mailings. All information included in the report is a requirement of the Ohio EPA. Much of the report is a template and may not be altered. The paragraph entitled, “What are Sources of Contamination to Drinking Water?” is one such paragraph. All water systems are required to have this information included in their report. It does not mean that there is any contamination in the water. The City of Piqua runs over 300 daily tests on its water to ensure that it is meeting all Ohio EPA guidelines.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(April 19, 2016) Why doesn’t the city pick up all the safety barrels at the East Ash and I-75 interchange.

FACT:

The traffic signal work at this site is an Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) project. The project has not been completed but once all the work is finished all traffic cones and barrels will be removed and the damaged turf areas repaired.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(March 22, 2016) The City of Piqua refuses to pave some city streets.

FACT:

Unfortunately, streets can not and should not be paved until certain utility work has been completed. Various streets are scheduled for water, sanitary sewer, or storm water line replacements, along with natural gas transmission line replacements by Vectren. The affected streets are scheduled for paving after this work is completed to avoid paving followed by tearing up the streets for construction projects. The timing of these construction projects is the primary factor on when a street gets repaved.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(March 2, 2016) The City of Piqua does not try to bring in good paying manufacturing jobs.

FACT:

Not true. The City of Piqua Development Department staff work hard to bring in new manufacturing jobs to the city. The main manufacturing targets are plastics, automotive, food, and technology companies. Since Piqua has no large, affordable certified (utilities and access in place) industrial sites available at this time, more focus is placed on those industries that are more likely to establish businesses in Piqua. However, most job growth (80%) in a community typically comes from existing businesses. A number of Piqua businesses completed major expansions in 2015, including Nitto Denko, P&R Specialty, Harmony Systems, RUSO Business Center, and Winans, which produced additional good paying jobs for the community. The same number of new expansions are expected in 2016.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(February 3, 2016) With the recent warrants issued and charges filed against the occupants of the old library, will the city demolish the building?

FACT:

The old library is privately owned and is currently listed for sale. The City of Piqua has nothing to do with the sale of the property. Although the structure is currently condemned and uninhabitable, it could be repaired for occupancy. The City of Piqua has no plans to demolish the building and hopes that it can be put back into a viable use.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(February 3, 2016) Did the city web site get hacked? It has been down for some time.

FACT:

No, the city web site has not been hacked. This past weekend began the transition to a new Domain Name Server (DNS) and it takes a period of time (depending on your server service) for this change to propagate the servers throughout the world wide web. The purpose of this transition is to move city internet access and phone service to city fiber to greatly reduce future costs.

UPDATE: (February 4, 2016)

The City of Piqua web site DNS changes have been completed and the web site is fully functional.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(January 21, 2016) Do we run the risk of having lead in our drinking water as in Flint, Michigan?

FACT:

The ongoing water crisis in Flint Michigan with lead in the drinking water and the numerous reports of harmful algae across Ohio has brought a lot of fear and questions regarding water quality nationwide. The City of Piqua Water Treatment Plant follows strict EPA guidelines to ensure that the citizens of Piqua have safe drinking water.

The Ohio EPA requires the City to test for lead and copper every three years in our distribution system. Due to many years of being in compliance with EPA standards, our testing was reduced from yearly, to every two years, to what is now every three years. Should we ever fall out of compliance, we would be required to once again test more frequently.

This past year of 2015 was our year for testing. As required by the EPA, we collected 30 samples from different points throughout the city. These sites included homes with both lead and copper plumbing. All samples collected were once again in compliance with EPA standards. In addition to this required testing, we also run copper tests once a month on our finished water leaving the plant as well as one sample from our distribution system. These samples have always been within EPA standards as well.

In 2014, the City of Toledo reached a water crisis with the formation of a harmful algal bloom at their intakes to their water treatment plant. The water was deemed unsafe for consumption for approximately 72 hours. Upon hearing of this situation, the City of Piqua began proactive testing for harmful algae in our reservoir system and the Great Miami River.

Since that time, Piqua has applied for and received grant money from the Ohio EPA for training and testing equipment so that we may do our own testing at the water treatment plant. Although not yet mandated by the EPA, last year we conducted weekly tests to ensure that we were having no harmful algal blooms in our waterways. At no time during 2015 did we detect any harmful algae in any of our three water sources.

The Ohio EPA is in the process of creating a monitoring schedule that will go in effect in 2017. With that schedule, we will then be mandated to test for harmful algae as well cyanotoxins. Cyanotoxins are toxins that are produced from harmful algal blooms. We will continue our own weekly testing in 2016 and then follow the guidelines as set forth by the EPA when they become active.

The new water treatment plant will incorporate granular activated carbon filters into the treatment process. These filters will greatly improve our treatment process and allow us to remove many inorganics and atrazine from the raw water. These filters have also been deemed by the EPA as the best and most reliable treatment process to remove cyanotoxins from the water.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(January 14, 2016) The city did a stupid thing by removing the playground swings in Fountain Park.

FACT:

The old playground swings in Fountain Park did not meet the new Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements for playground equipment. Failure to meet these requirements eliminates insurance coverage and opens the city to potential litigation resulting from any injuries received on the equipment. The safety of kids is overriding concern and the swings will be replaced with new certified swing equipment.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(January 5, 2016) Since taking over the 4th of July Celebration for 2016, the City of Piqua will have no activities taking place in Fountain Park and everything will be moved to the riverfront.

FACT:

The tentative plans for the Piqua 4th Fest event include activities similar to previous events at Fountain Park during the morning and afternoon. Later in the evening, activities including music concerts and fireworks will shift to the riverfront primarily at Lock 9 Park. Fireworks will be shot from a location that will be very visible from Lock 9 Park and anywhere along the riverfront or downtown. Downtown Piqua has over 900 public parking spaces and another 600 private parking lot spaces that can potentially be utilized for the evening festivities.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(January 5, 2016) The City of Piqua prevents new businesses from coming to Piqua and does not want higher paying jobs in the community.

FACT:

Nothing is further from the truth. The City of Piqua Development Department staff members are constantly meeting with and recruiting potential new businesses. The city’s Economic Development Strategic Plan developed in 2014 identifies numerous strategies currently being utilized to help bring new businesses into the community. Seventy percent of Piqua residents work outside the City of Piqua which means that 70% of Piqua businesses’ employees come from outside of the city limits. A logical conclusion is that Piqua businesses pay better than businesses in other surrounding cities resulting in one of the reasons for the lower median income of Piqua residents.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(December 29, 2015) Which business is going in the former Furniture Store on East Ash beside Aldi’s, Planet Fitness or Family Farm & Home?

FACT:

Actually, both businesses are going in at this location.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 6, 2015) The City of Piqua refuses to recruit a large industry to the community because Piqua businesses do not want new businesses.

FACT:

This is NOT true. No businesses or business leaders try to keep new businesses from locating in Piqua. The reality is there are no large “shovel ready” tracts of land available with utilities on site that can be developed. The large tracts of vacant land are privately owned and the cost per acre far exceeds the market rate that industries are willing to pay. Until a time when the cost of land is reduced to affordable prices, it is very unlikely large industries will be interested in locating within Piqua.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 5, 2015) The recent grants received by the city will be used to improve rental properties in the Historic East Piqua area.

FACT:

This is NOT true. The City of Piqua has been awarded two grants, $527K for the CDBG Community Housing Impact & Preservation (CHIP) Program and $300K for the CDBG Critical Infrastructure Program, that can only be used in the Southview Neighborhood. The Southview Neighborhood is currently the only neighborhood in Piqua that qualifies as a Low-Moderate Income Area which Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding can be utilized. The CHIP grant will help improve both owner owned and rental properties that meet certain qualifications and criteria. The Critical Infrastructure Grant will be used to replace existing water meters with automated water meters throughout the neighborhood.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 5, 2015) The City of Piqua plans to take privately owned property (eminent domain) in the Historic East Piqua area to complete the Historic East Piqua Master Plan.

FACT:

This is NOT true. The City of Piqua has stated from the beginning of the master planning process that eminent domain would not be used to take any private property. The Historic East Piqua Master Plan is a planning document of what could take place to revitalize this part of the community. North of East Ash Street is envisioned to continue as residential. Improvements to housing and streets could much improve the area. South of East Ash Street is envisioned to be redeveloped as a Recreation/Health/Wellness district. As properties in this area become uninhabitable or the owners desire to get rid of properties, the city may consider purchasing them at fair market value. The Historic East Piqua Master Plan is a long range vision that may change over time and circumstances.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 3, 2015) The City of Piqua drinking water is unsafe because of the recent Water Notice mailed to customers.

FACT:

The City of Piqua drinking water is very safe. The most recent water notice was required by the State of Ohio because the testing level for trihalomethanes exceeded the 80 mg/l level at 80.7 mg/l (rounded to 81 mg/l). Trihalomethanes form when water remains motionless in the water lines or water storage tanks for a period of time. The testing occurred during the period that the East Ash Water Tank was out of service being repainted and having a Total Trihalomethanes Removal System installed within the tank. The water tank has since been put back into operation which should improve future compliance. In addition, the new Water Treatment Plant will have Granular Activated Carbon filters to remove all organics from the water that create trihalomethanes. There are no health related issues with the violation notice and you do not need to use an alternative water supply such as bottled water.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 3, 2015) The City of Piqua put bike lanes on South Main Street that go nowhere.

FACT:

The bike lanes on South Main Street will eventually connect to both on-street and off-street bike lanes throughout the city making traveling to parks, schools, and neighborhoods much safer. The lanes were installed on South Main Street because of the timing of the repaving of South Main Street last year. Businesses along the corridor requested bike and turn lanes because of the number of workers that bike to work and the safety of vehicular travel.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 3, 2015) The City of Piqua has allowed the property at the NW corner of US36 and Looney Road to remain in disrepair while allowing the owner to plant trees and suing the Recker Heights Subdivision.

FACT:

The City of Piqua issued a violation to the owner of the property and the owner has obtained a demolition permit for the residence. The city is not connected to the court case involving the corner property owner and the subdivision. The lawsuit is an issue related to the covenants of the subdivision as to whether commercial property can be developed on the corner property and does not affect any other portion of the subdivision. The trees were planted by the City of Piqua as part of a continued effort of beautification for the corridor and interchange. The new traffic signals and poles are being installed by ODOT to improve the appearance of the interchange.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 2, 2015) The City of Piqua is doing nothing to prevent the continued burning of the Trail Bridge over the river.

FACT:

The city has treated the wood on the bridge with a fire retardant on a regular basis. As part of the Riverfront Redevelopment Design currently underway, the city will be looking at improvements to the Trail Bridge including replacing the wood with concrete.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

FACT:

The City of Piqua does not own the trailer park. It is owned by the Reck Family and is not within the City of Piqua corporate limits. The Ohio EPA required the closing of the park due to environmental issues and Miami County Health would be responsible for overseeing the actual clean-up of the property related to the trailers and other debris.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(November 2, 2015) The City of Piqua is responsible for demolishing the vacated school buildings.

FACT:

The City of Piqua is not responsible for the demolition of the vacated school buildings. The Piqua School District was required to demolish the buildings in order to receive construction funding for the three new schools from the State of Ohio.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(October 30, 2015) The City of Piqua has made no effort to repaint the railroad overpass bridge on East Ash Street.

FACT:

The City of Piqua has been working over the past couple of years with the bridge owner, CSX Railroad, to try and get the bridge repainted. CSX has indicated that they have no future plans to paint the bridge, however, they will allow a municipality to paint the structure provided that the city enter into an agreement to abide by their bridge painting requirements and specifications including only utilizing an approved CSX paint company. The city obtained a quote from an approved paint company estimating to repaint the bridge would cost between $130K-$190K. The city plans to include this cost in the 2016 budget to complete the repainting project.

RUMOR/TOPIC:

(October 25, 2015) The City of Piqua owns the Piqua Milling buildings.

FACT:

The City of Piqua does not own nor will be purchasing the Piqua Milling buildings. The buildings are privately owned. We do hope the owner will redevelopment the structures to be a vital part of the Riverfront Redevelopment Project.